There is going to be an area set up like last year for foam swordfighting, for all you action-deprived fans out there.

I think the swords are on average $30-40, and $5 to enter a tourney (sword provided). I'll attempt to explain the rules:

2 out of 3 rounds wins the match.

Beginning of the round, both players bow to each other, tap swords, and take 2 steps back.

Legal targets are anywhere except the head and neck.

Solid strikes (not puny glances) to any part of the shoulder to bottom of torso (try to avoid the balls guys) equals death. Slashes and thrust are both valid.

Strikes to arm/leg = severing of that limb. That player then proceeds to put the arm behind his back and can continue with 1 hand. The dead leg is put in front of you so that if the opponent hits it, it DOES NOT COUNT and kneel with the other leg.

2 severed limbs = death.

Controlled swings please. The swords do not require that you wind up and swing with all your might like a baseball swing. It also looks really lame.

Be honest about getting hit. If your opponent landed a solid hit, don't attempt to shrug it off. Honor is part of swordfighting.

Heads "are" valid targets obviously in real combat, but for safety reasons, because foam swords can still cause damage, head shots are generally discouraged and do not count for the kill. Also, after getting hit in the head, some people get really angry and then it becomes a personal fight. But yeah, it is fun to watch (I hope that this is in the right forum, even though it has nothing to do with cosplay o.O). There was a temari that won a tourney last year.

If you would like to try, you're welcome to. The judges would have to check to see if the weapon is properly padded and whether they're compatible with the swords they have. If you're participating in the tourneys, they will provide you a sword to fight with at no extra cost besides the registration fee.